Blind Them, Kazuki!
by Acolyte of Truth
Summary: A boy, his death a mystery, found by two sisters. A blade, its orgins unknown. Naruto vowes to make Rukongai an equal and peaceful place, with or without the shinigamis' help. Watch him inspire hope in the weak, the mifortunate, anyone! Nar/KotetsuSisters
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Let it be known to all who read this that I own nothing that grants me any monetary value whatsoever. The only things I claim ownership over in terms of intellectual property are my unique plot situations and O.C.s, the latter of which are available for use with proper notification. Of course, if you steal them, I can't really do shit if you steal them except for unleashing my hoard of semi-devoted fans unto you, currently totaling one-hundred-seventy-three. Let me also clear all pretenses by saying right now that this first chapter is only a sample. If you want it continued sooner, vote for it on my profile along with your other top two. That means you can vote twice more if you already decided. Also, Naruto will be no more than an ordinary shinigami in this fic. I feel that the vizard/arrancar plot is too overused nowadays and it's time to get back to basics. That being said, Naruto will still kick major ass later on. The pairing is also Naruto/Isane/Kiyone, due to the fact that I've never seen it before and to me is genius and deserves a shot. After all, as many a pervert can tell you on doujin sites, incest is wincest, even if it is only the siblings sleeping with the same person at the same time. Now with the overly long disclaimer over with and the assholes who I've lost gone, let's continue, shall we?

/

Chapter 1: Lost Yet Found

In a lightly forested area, sunlight shimmered in through the branches, the yellow light wafting onto a boy. He didn't move, despite the fact that the light shone right onto his closed eyelids. The boy himself appeared to be sixteen, maybe older, dressed in a simple grey kimono.

His skin was lightly tanned by the sun, you you could tell that his body was covered in lithe muscle from what you could see of his body. His cheeks had three thin lines running across them, giving the faint impression of whiskers, leading many woman to probably call him both wild and cute. It was all topped off by a head of shaggy blonde, a colour as warm as the sun, with fringe covering his forehead.

Backed up against a tree, the boy was motionless. A strong gust passed through the area, violently shaking the tree branches ans letting a few leaves loose as they floated to the ground, landing around the blonde boy. Still he did not move, his face retaining a pensive and slightly agitated look instead.

For hours the boy remained, and made not the slightest hint of movement. One could not tell if he was breathing or not due to his kimono being relatively loose on the chest, concealing the fact if it was rising or falling. All in all, one would say that the whole scene was one of serenity.

Lazily, the sun moved across the sky, casting both shadows and light to places that had yet to be illuminated by the warm glow. And it was with that action that something else was discovered about the boy. And that was that he was grasping something.

It was a sword, to be precise. For all intents and purposes, it seemed to be an average katana from the length and sheath style. Speaking of which, the sheath was an inky black, which had aided it in remaining hidden before. The hand-guard, though simple in design, appeared to be cast of pure silver, causing the light to glint and shine off of it, causing a harsh glare. The, there was the handle. Like the sheath, it was a dark black, but the fabric that provided the user with grip was purple. A purple tassel also hung off the end of it.

And so, it was in that same spot that the blonde boy laid, for hours on end, a blade grasped in his fingers, motionless. Many questions remained. What was wrong with this boy? Who was he? How had he gotten here? What was with the sword? But one question was more prevalent than the rest. Just who was he?

The questions would have to wait, however, as two new figures entered the clearing. They immediately seemed to notice the boy and quickly approached him. Their shadows cast over him completely, and soon encompassed him.

/

An undetermined amount of time later, the blonde boy began to stir. He was indoors now, laying on the floor with a blanket covering him. There was a wet washcloth covering his forehead, possibly to help a fever go down.

It was dark in the room, but even with that, you could see his joyful soul in his deep blue eyes. Slowly, cautiously, the blonde sat up, the blanket and washcloth falling off of him as he held a hand up to his head, wincing a bit as he did so.

His eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, he began to survey the room, just as he heard a gasp sound out. Nee-chan, he's up!" quickly swinging his head in that direction, the boy saw two girls huddled up against a wall sharing a blanket.

The first one was presumably the one who shouted. It was a young girl, probably a few years younger than he was. Her hair was straight, blonde, and kept short. Her hazel eyes were wide open as she shook the older woman beside her, one closer to his age.

She had shaggy silver hair, short like the other girl's, with a single thin braid on the right side of her head. The shaking she received made her wake up, showing shining blue eyes, which regarded him with both shock and excitement as she heard what the other girl had said.

Quickly, the older one got up and knelt down by his side, pushing him back down as she started checking him. "Please, you should rest," she said, her voice both melodious and not too forceful, but able to carry concern for him and some influence.

"Wh-where am I?" the boy got out, trying to discern his whereabouts. He didn't know where he was, he was surrounded by strange people, and he wanted at least a few answers. Such as how he got there. In fact, the blonde couldn't remember much of anything, and the only thing clear in his mind was a name.

The only answer he received was a, "Hush," as the woman began to inspect him. While doing so, she turned to the younger girl and said, "Kiyone, bring out some soup!"

"Right!" with that,the younger blonde disappeared into another room. The boy just let the other continue to inspect him, not really wanting to argue or upset the person who was just trying to help him. As her soft hands worked around his torso and arms, the by had to admit, it felt nice as he started to relax.

A few minutes later, the girl said, "Okay, you seem to be fine."

Just then, the other girl, Kiyone, came back, carrying a small bowl with liquid sloshing about in it. "Here," she said, handing it to the other girl who accepted it. She then settled down a little ways away, not wanting to get in the way.

Now with the bowl in hand, the older girl turned to the downed blonde and handed it to him. "Here, drink up. You must be hungry."

"No, I couldn't," the boy refused, not really wanting to impose. He felt that the two had done enough for him. Despite what he had said, the boy was starving, and his stomach just had to choose that moment to growl loudly, causing a blush to grow on the boy's face.

The girls seemed to ignore it, but the older one still tried to get him to cooperate. "Please,we just want you to get better." The girl put on a cute face, which, combined with the aroma of the soup, made the blonde accept the bowl carefully and gratefully as he slowly took several large gulps from it.

When the bowl was about a quarter full, the blonde then turned to the two girls. "Thank you, for everything you've done so far."

"Please, don't mention it. It was our pleasure, and it was the least we could do," the silver-haired girl said, bowing her head a bit as she said that. Then, a little softer, "Sorry for being so forceful earlier."

"Hey, don't be like that," the blonde said, a happy grin forming on his face. "Like you said, you were just looking out for me. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me for making you take care of me. Umm, by the way, what are your names?"

At this, the older girl blushed a bit averted her gaze, thinking she had been rude for not introducing herself of the other girl. "Oh, sorry. My name's Kotetsu Isane, and this is my sister, Kiyone."

At being formally introduced, the blonde girl plastered a big grin on her face and waved. "Hey."

The boy casually reciprocated the action before turning back to Isane. "Nice to meet you Isane-chan, Kiyone-chan."

Both girls blushed a bit at being referred to in such a way, before quickly recovering. "If you don't mind me asking," began Isane, "what's your name?"

At this, the blonde rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, before replying, "It's Naruto. Or, at least, I think it is." both girls regarded him curiously at that, but didn't let it get in the way of making him comfortable.

"Well, Naruto-kun," Isane said playfully, "your sword is by the door."

"My sword?" asked Naruto, confused.

Seeing this, Kiyone wasted no time in going to the door, retrieving the sheathed sword, and gently placing the item down on Naruto's lap before sitting on the other side of him opposite her sister. "Here you go."

The blonde regarded it curiously, inspecting the hilt, guard, and tassel of the blade, before grabbing the sheath and slowly, easily, freeing the sword half-way from its casing. Everyone's eyes widened in shock at seeing it.

For the most part, the blade was a brilliant sterling sliver, made hard and tempered by fire to last. However, what caught every individual's eye were the small and numerous vein-like lines running along the center of the sword, glowing a deep, light purple. In the dark room, the illumination was more like an ethereal glow, causing both unease and confusion in the blonde.

The sword then glowed different colours, shifting between orange and light green, causing an even greater degree of unease in the blonde. The blade then settled on light green, shining in that colour more intensely.

Everyone stared in awe at the magnificence of it, and then, a smile of joy formed on Naruto's face, as he finally understood it, prompting the blade to glow a deep blue, similar to its owner's eyes. "Oh, cool! It's like a mood ring!" Naruto said in understanding. The two girl's also adopted this look as Naruto slowly sheathed the blade.

Kiyone, however, quickly showed confusion, a question in her mind. "Excuse me, Naruto-kun," she said, catching both her sister's and the blonde's attention, "are you a shinigami?"

"A what?" asked Naruto in confusion. At this, Isane reiterated. "She means a death god. They are spirits like us, only with special powers that go around to both purify evil spirits called hollows and escort the dead here to Rukongai. They commonly wear black clothing and carry around a zanpakutou like your sword."

"I see," Naruto said calmly. Then, several things that Isane had said resounded in Naruto's head. "Wait. Spirits? Dead? Here? I'm Dead?" asked Naruto in shock.

Both girls looked surprised at that, but Isane quickly looked down, blushing and ashamed. _'He must not have known. How foolish of me.'_

seeing that, Kiyone filled in for her sister, trying to make the situation better. "Umm, surprise? Welcome to the thirty-fourth district of Rukongai." Yeah, it was obvious that Kiyone wasn't good at this type of thing. Surprising to both of them, though, Naruto just brushed it off.

"Hey, don't worry about it."

"What?" asked bother sisters in unison.

"Well, it's just that I don't really remember much of my past, so me being dead doesn't make that much big of a difference. So if I'm not getting worked up about this, then there's really no reason that you should. You guys have done so much for me already, and I don't want you feeling bad."

Naruto's matter-of-fact reasoning did, in fact, cheer both sisters up significantly. So much so that Kiyone figured that she should ask another question. "So you don't know why you were in that field passed out?"

"Nope," Naruto shook his head.

"Wow, you must have just died, then."

"Kiyone!" Isane said, shocked that her sister would say something like that so causally. "Don't say stuff like that! It's rude!"

"Sorry nee-chan."

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Naruto, not wanting any kind of trouble started over him. After everyone had calmed down, Naruto figured that he should ask another question. "So, if I was in a field like Kiyone-chan said, how did you two find me?"

"Well," began Isane, before Kiyone decided to explain it, as she would do a better job doing it.

"Nee-chan said that she felt something early in the morning, like someone needed help. I told her she was just imagining things, and she decided to take a walk. I went along since there really wasn't anything better to do. Eventually, she got that feeling again, and started out into the woods. Low and behold, we found you, and she decided to take you in to help. And that's pretty much that."

"I see," Naruto said, rubbing his chin almost philosophically, as if he had made a great, common introspective discovery. "Well, then I guess I really own you guys one," once again, a big grin was plastered on his face.

"Nonsense," said Isane, really not wanting anyone to owe her anything. "Say, why don't we show you around while the sun's still out? You know, get you familiar with your surroundings."

"That's sounds nice." And so, the sister's helped Naruto to his feet, where he proceeded to secure his sword around his waist with his kimono strap. Everyone then slipped on a pair of sandals, and walked out the door.

/

And there you go. A bit short, but once again, this is a preview chapter. Besides, if I added the next scene, this chapter would be much longer than the other previews, or I would be forced to cut it off awkwardly. So, once again, if you want this story continued sooner, go vote for it. If you can think of anyways I can improve this chapter or the story as a whole, don't be afraid to message me. Anonymous messaging is permanently enabled, and I will not turn it off no matter how many flames are receive. So be as scathing as you wish. I will criticize no person for stating their opinion. At this point, I have one more crossover, a semi-crossover, and two crack fics to write previews for. I'll probably post them next week. To readers of my other fics, I'm going to finish the previews first. I'll be back soon, most likely for RosarioKitsune, because they've been waiting for pretty long. That or Dear Bitch, even if only two people favorited it. Okay, so that's it. Acolyte out.


	2. Chapter 2

Update: So, this chapter went over better than expected last week. That's great. No one pointed out any errors, so I just added a bit to the end. Can't say I'm entirely pleased with it, but I was exhausted the past week. Also didn't have much time to write, so there's that. Whatever. Moving on.

/

Chapter 2: The First 24 Hours

"So, this is the Rukongai?" asked Naruto as the trio of him, Isane, and Kiyone moved through the small village. There were others moving about as well; people haggling and bartering at stands, young children laughing as they ran around the wide walkways as they chased one another, and others just milling around the place, enjoying the day. No one really got in each others way, and for the most part, everyone seemed to mind their own business. Despite how isolated everyone seemed from one another, though, the blond couldn't help but feel a strong sense of community emanating from the town. It showed, as everyone regarded him with a curious gaze, not used to seeing him around before. Of course, once they saw him, most people immediately directed their gazes to the sword hanging at his waist.

"That is correct," Isane replied as she lead him aimlessly through the town. The further they walked, the more Naruto couldn't help noticing that all the buildings seemed to be run down. Some had collapsing roofs, others had large cracks on the exterior walls, which probably lead into the interior as well, and more still seemed to have actual chunks of their respective materials missing from the wall, leaving rather large holes. Many buildings had any combination of these problems, along with more stacked upon even those.

"Huh," was the only thing the blond could think to say.

"Hey, what's with that response?" asked Kiyone, who was enjoying the walk. She had thrown he arms behind her head and was leaning back as she followed her sister, almost as if she were allowing the sky to embrace her and the sun's rays to comfort her. All in all, she seemed to be enjoying herself, and her question was most likely just a playful barb at Naruto's attitude.

"I guess I just never expected death to be like this. I mean, I don't think I did." At Isane's glance back to him, Naruto elaborated. "I mean, yeah, life here is tranquil from what I've seen (or, you know, whatever you call it since we aren't exactly alive, apparently), but everything seems so... well, renovations couldn't hurt."

"Yes, well, certain trades are hard to come by depending where in the Rukongai you are. Those with talents in masonry, carpentry, structural design, and the like are often moved closer to Seireitei to help with construction. Our current proximity to Seireitei does prevent us from accessing services like that often. However, we are much better off compared to those further out then us."

"Seireitei?" asked Naruto, looking at Isane quizzically. Taking his confused state as a sign that she was doing a bad job explaining things, the girl blushed, embarrassed with herself, and looked away, trying to avoid eye contact.

Seeing her sister's state, Kiyone sighed and took it upon herself to try and explain. "Look out over there," she said, pointing behind them. Naruto did so, wondering just what he was supposed to see besides the horizon. Squinting, he thought he could make something out. A tower? No, a hill with a tower built on top of it, and maybe some buildings around it. The specifics were impossible to make out through the silhouette. The boy cast a confused glance back to Kiyone, who continued by saying, "All the way out there is the Seireitei. Apparently it's built on some big hill with a giant gate surrounding it. Anyway, that's where the Shinigami live, along with a couple groups of nobles. You see, the way the Rukongai is structured is that Seireitei is sort of the... um... hey, Sis, what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Central axis?" Isane asked in return, not quite sure what Kiyone was trying to say, and still feeling abashed. The last thing she wanted was to appear foolish in front of the person they had just met, so she hoped that she had guessed correctly.

If Kiyone's smile was anything to go by, Isane had guessed correctly. "That's it," she said excitedly before turning back to Naruto. "Anyway, the Seireitei if sort of like the central axis around which the Rukongai is built around. You see, the Rukongai is composed of three-hundred-twenty separate districts; eighty built out from the four cardinal directions around Seireitei. The reason that the districts closer to Seireitei are in better condition is because, along with having access to more services, the Shinigami are more concerned with their well-being due to proximity. They sort of act like law-keepers and scare bandits off."

"Wait," Naruto interrupted, "there are bandits in the afterlife? Do you have a problem with bandits?"

"Oh no," Isane said, chuckling a bit at Naruto's outburst and the shocked expression he wore. "Luckily enough, we live close enough that Seireitei still sends weekly patrols our way. This tends to scare most groups away."

"Most?" the blond asked, more than a little suspicious as he honed in on the operative word.

"Well, yes, a few groups have raided both this district and those around it in the past. However, the times that has happened are few and far between."

Naruto was just about to grill Isane on how often a time period 'few and far between' was, but before he could, Kiyone decided to input her own thoughts on the matter. "That doesn't matter though, because now that Naruto-kun is here, he can beat up any bandits that try to steal from the town! I mean, you are planning on sticking around, aren't you?"

Naruto was about to say 'no', if only for the sake of argument and because he didn't like feeling as if her was being forced into this situation. However, the blond found himself holding his tongue at Kiyone's pleading look, and even Isane's worried, hopeful appearance. Instead, he found himself putting on a cocky grin and kneeling down to the shorter girl's level. "Of course I'm staying! I mean, where else am I gonna' go? And if any bandits decide to come around, well, they'd better watch out, 'cause I'll kick all their sorry asses!"

To emphasize his point, Naruto placed a hand on Kiyone's had and ruffled her hair. The girl laughed and gave a small cheer at his words, but quickly put on an annoyed face and swatted his hand away, saying "Quit it!". Seeing her pout, Naruto also let loose a chuckle, but restrained himself from remarking on how cute Kiyone looked. He was just happy that she didn't look sad anymore.

Isane had also put a smile on her face, making the blond even more relieved. "You're welcome to stay with us for however long you wish," she said.

"No, I couldn't," Naruto tried to argue. "You've already been so nice. I'm sure I'll be able to find someplace to sleep at night."

"Come on, it won't be any trouble. Besides, we have plenty of room."

"Please, Naruto-kun! You'll be able to protect us better if bandits do come," Kiyone argued playfully as she held his arm close to her body, as if it would physically sway him to her side. Then, her grin turned a bit more wicked, and her tone a lot more devious. "Besides, what could be better than sleeping with two cute girls alone? Isn't that what a stud like you dreams of?"

Quickly figuring out what the young girl was implying, the blond's face pretty much burst into taking on a red tint. His eyes looked with Isane, and when both saw the other was in the same boat, they quickly diverted their eyes and took on deeper shaded of red. Their reactions caused Kiyone to laugh.

"Anyway," Naruto said hastily, trying to regain his composure and change the topic, "why is it that the Shinigami can't better protect everyone? After all, shouldn't they be more concerned with the affairs in Rukongai, especially if there are bandits?"

"Well, it's not that simple," Isane supplied, seeing how Kiyone was still too caught up in enjoying her little joke. "The Rukongai is a big place, and while there are many Shinigami they do have other matter to attend to."

"Such as?" asked Naruto, not really seeing a good reason for the Shinigami to allow crime to run rampant out in the Rukongai. In fact, the more he heard about them, the more he began to detest them and those who lived in Seireitei with them.

"The afterlife really isn't as idyllic as many would assume. Basically, when somebody dies, they become what is called a Plus, or what amounts to a ghost. However, they are trapped in the world of the living until a Shinigami arrives and preforms a ritual on them, thus bringing their spirit here or sending them to Hell if they are seen as irredeemable. However, if a Shinigami fails to reach a Plus a certain amount of time after their death, they are transformed. From what I've been told, I am to understand that they become beings of pure malice, losing every scrap of their humanity and preying on others like them and defenseless Pluses alike. Apparently, they don't shy away from the living, either. The Shinigami call the Hollows, and to preserve the balance between the realms of the living and the dead, they are often dispatched to vanquish them."

"I suppose that does sound pretty important," Naruto admitted, albeit begrudgingly, as he crossed his arms in front of him and pondered what he was told. "It's still not an excuse for basically ignoring all these people and holing themselves up inside a giant, walled city."

By this time, the trio had stopped walking, seeing as Naruto really wasn't paying attention to the town anymore, and had taken shelter up against a building. As people passed by, they sent Naruto odd glances, possibly hearing snippets of the conversation about him bashing the Shinigami, or they were weary of the fact that he was armed, or a combination of both, those in the latter position probably thinking that the blond was part of a bandit camp and that he was gathering information about the town. They didn't say anything, though, and because of that, Naruto ignored the looks.

"Hey, how do you know about all this?" the boy suddenly asked Isane, wondering just how she knew so much about the Shinigami and how they operated.

"Oh, you see, after being dead for some time, you lose your memory of your life and your time in the world of the living. However, new arrivals can remember pretty much all of that, and, having gone through the ritual themselves, can accurately recount what the Shinigami did. A few have also had run-ins with Hollows, but were saved by the Shinigami showing up just in time. It seems different for you, though. Having just died, you should remember most of your life and having been sent here. Maybe something with the ritual went wrong and... Oh, um sorry."

Finally realizing what she was saying, Isane apologized and stopped talking. She thought it to be utterly tactless to remind Naruto that he didn't know who he really was or where he came from, despite having presumably just died. It probably didn't make him feel all that great. Naruto didn't mind though, and told Isane as much. So what if he didn't remember his life? Sure, knowing may have been nice, but would it really change anything? He'd still be dead, still be in an unfamiliar place, and, considering he'd been found alone, still not be with anyone he knew. At least he had partially rectified the latter and had found friends in Isane and Kiyone, who were helping him get comfortably with his surroundings. Yeah, he was still dead, but his situation didn't seem all that bad. He had nothing to compare it to, but then again, that was probably for the best.

"You know, maybe you didn't just die."

Naruto and Isane turned to Kiyone, wondering what her theory was, even if they shared a bit of skepticism at the moment.

"What if you've been dead for a while, and had been living somewhere else in the Rukongai, but got amnesia or something and ended up where we found you?"

"Well, that's a possibility," Naruto agreed, "but it still doesn't help anything. We have no idea why I might have been there, and realistically can't ask all of the Rukongai if they recognize me, especially if every district is this size, and there are over three-hundred of them."

"It's not like we don't have the time," Kiyone pointed out as she pouted about being shot down. The other two ignored her statement.

Suddenly, the three heard a tiny rumble, and Naruto held his stomach. "Huh?" he asked confused.

"Oh, are you hungry?" asked Isane, surprise clear in her voice.

"I guess so," Naruto replied, confused by the inflection of the girls voice, before his mind connected the dots. "Hey, why am I hungry if I'm already dead? Why do dead people have to eat?"

Isane let out a strained chuckle at the blond's reaction, in part because she genuinely found it amusing, but mainly because explaining everything to him was becoming more and more trying. Sure, she wanted to help as best she could, and the questions he asked were things she had some information on, but she felt as if she didn't know enough to actually help him, and was just confusing him more for it. It didn't help that the frequency with which Naruto came up with a new question was rather large.

It didn't mean she was ready to give up, as she instead chose to try and do better. "You see," she began, speaking in a slow measure to better think through her words, "most dead don't need to eat. However, some dead, like the Shinigami, possess this inner energy that, if explored properly, give them amazing power. Or so I'm told. Anyway, the drawback to this is that it exposes the dead to things like hunger. As far as I know, it isn't fatal (or, you know what I mean), but it is extremely discomforting, and those who use this power need the energy form food to utilize and replenish it. It's common enough that people have inklings of this power, me and Kiyone included, that probably could be matured, but as is just leave them hungry. Due to this, food stands are just as common, and because of availability, even those who don't need to eat do so because they enjoy the feeling, thus making food even more available."

"I see," Naruto said at the end of the explanation, nodding as if he understood. It made Isane smile, the girl sighing in relief as she did so. However, his next question, which she should have expected in all honesty, gave Isane pause. "But how do you know this. The hunger thing I can understand but how did you discover that this power has any connection to it?"

"I may have played a part in that," a new, unfamiliar voice suddenly said, causing all three to jump slightly in surprise. It was distinctly male, and was a bit melodic and airy, even if it carried a lazy drawl with it. "You know," the voice continued, capitalizing on the group's shocked silence to do so, "considering you're hungry and all, why don't you come on inside. I'll cook you something up. You too, girls."

Naruto was a bit hesitant, but really didn't have time to consider his options, as Kiyone was soon cheering and dragging him around the side of the building and into a small eatery, Isane following behind with a relaxed pace and a smile on her face. Once inside, the blond was pulled up to the counter and pushed into a seat, the sisters joining him on either side.

Still not entirely sure of what was happening, Naruto surveyed the small space he was in, noting that it really couldn't fit any more than eight people since the counter was the only place to sit. The place really wasn't remarkable, so the blond quickly turned to observe the man behind the counter. His back was tuned to the three as he worked to cook something on his stove, so Naruto couldn't discern anything more about him besides the fact that he was fairly tall with short, light brown hair the appeared to b greying on the sides, but that didn't mean he was ignoring them, either.

"So, Isane-chan, Kiyone-chan, does yer new friend have a name?"

"Yep!" Kiyone responded energetically. The man chuckled when he realized that was all the girl was going to say.

"So then tell me, boyo, what might yer name be?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man's strange way of speaking, both at the words he used and the inflections he gave them. He could safely say he never heard a person speak like this before. Even if this was only the third person he could remember talking to, he doubted he would forget such a strange accent, no matter what kind of head trauma ha may have suffered.

"Um, you can call me Naruto."

"Naruto, eh? Don't seem too sure 'bout that yerself, Naruto-san."

"Yeah, well, memory loss is a funny thing," the blond countered coolly, not sure where the man was taking this conversation.

"You got a strange sense o' humor, boyo, you know that?"

"Oh, stop teasing him. He's new to this whole 'dead' thing."

Kiyone's sudden interjection stopped Naruto from retorting, though the man just played off of it.

"Just making some observations. Speaking o' which, I take it you don't like the Shinigami much."

Naruto was about to ask just how the man knew that, before realizing that he had probably been eavesdropping on them when they were leaning up against the building. If anything, that just made the blond more suspicious of the man. Regardless, Isane and Kiyone seemed to trust this man for some reason, plus he was offering food, so Naruto answered honestly.

"I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, I can say I don't like them."

"And why might that be?"

"Why hate a bunch of people with the power to help everyone, but who chose to hide behind their walls instead of keeping these people safe? While their up in that city, they allow others to live in constant fear of bandits. From what I hear this is actually a good sector to live in, but conditions are still bad. What about people in district eighty? Do they live in refuse piles? Why, because they don't have the power to become Shinigami? That's utter bullshit, a class-system that shouldn't exist in an afterlife."

It was silent for a moment after that as everyone, Naruto included, digested what was said. The boy hadn't thought he would be able to put his thoughts into words, but he had actually done so rather well. Kiyone and Isane were also a bit surprised with how strongly he felt, and though they didn't blame the Shinigami exclusively for the problems that plagued the Rukongai, they also couldn't find any inaccuracy in what Naruto had said. The man behind the counter, though, just let out an amused laugh that effectively broke the oppressive silence, his entire body shaking with mirth.

"Well said, boyo!" he remarked, turning as he placed plates in front of Naruto and the girls, each holding some grilled fish on a bed of fried rice. This allowed the blond to get a better look at him. His face was angular, with rather pronounced cheekbones and a wide jaw. The deep lines in his face, especially the forehead, also belied his age a bit more that just his greying hair had, showing that he was probably one to worry a lot, though you wouldn't guess with the smile on his face.

Opening his eyes to regard Naruto for the first time, the blond saw that they were a murky green, a shade that complimented the deep bags under them. They scanned him for a moment, before the man nodded to himself, grin still splitting his face in half.

"You can call me Houshi, Naruto-san. Pleased to meet someone as level-headed as you."

"Thanks," Naruto said tentatively, not sure if being called 'level-headed' by this man was a compliment or not. Instead of mulling over, though, the blond broke a pair of chopsticks and began to eat his food, both because it smelled appetizing, and because Isane and Kiyone had already started. It appeared the two would be taking a back seat in the following conversation, just listening instead of participating.

"Let met just say, yer assertions are spot on. The Shinigami could probably fix everything wrong with this damn place, despite being outnumbered by the folks in Rukongai, but instead chose to hide up in their city, most o' them training to better fight the Hollows. Granted, it's an admirable goal, but it doesn't help any o' these folks. Seriously, they have thirteen squads, none o' them committed to actually helping Rukongai. It's maddening."

"If you don't mind my asking," Naruto interrupted, finding a pause in Houshi's speech, "how do you know all of this?" he recalled Isane saying that most of what she knew came from this man, and after listening to him for just a little while, was surprised that both she and Kiyone were actually so objective about the whole issue.

"Funny story, that," Houshi said, his smile being replace by a grimace momentarily before his mouth just became a neutral line. "You see, I was once one o' those bastards. For o'er two decades I trained, thinking I was making a difference. The help to the humans was minimal, and nonexistent 'ere. I quit as soon as I figured it out, and opened this little stand. At least now I'm helping by feeding the people."

"I can't imagine people like the Shinigami would just let people quit."

"Nay," the man admitted, a bit dismayed now. "In all honesty, I'm a wanted man, and I'll probably be put to death if they find me. Like hell I'll make it easy, though."

Naruto noticed that Houshi didn't stumble over ironic things like mentioning life and death like Isane and Kiyone did, going so far to say the Shinigami would kill him. To Naruto, that didn't make sense, since they were dead already, but then again, Houshi knew more about these things then he did, so the blond didn't question it. Instead he asked, "If you knew they'd kill you, why did you quit?"

"In my time, I had risen through the ranks, having become a seated officer in a respectable amount o' time. Despite that, I had no influence. I couldn't seem to make people care about the Rukongai; no, they were too concerned with human affairs. I couldn't take it." Houshi sighed in depression and leaned up against the counter before continuing, clearly tired. "In hindsight, I probably could have made a difference had I stuck with it, but nay, I didn't have the will." He paused again before pushing off the counter and shrugging, his tone becoming wistful again. "But what can you do? That's just how our life is."

"Hey, maybe you can become a Shinigami, Naruto-kun," Kiyone joked, turning everyone's attention to her. "After all, you have the strange power and your sword. Maybe you can change things like Houshi-san tried to."

"Sword?" Houshi asked, the comment gaining his attention. It was then that he noticed the blade hanging off of Naruto's hip, and his eyes narrowed. "And where did you get that from boyo?" he asked cautiously.

The blond looked to the man, then to his sword before taking it in his hands and holding it in his lap, running his hands along the sheath as he did so. "I don't know. I was found with it."

"I see."

Houshi's words were slow and measured, and it was clear he didn't know where he should take this conversation.

"And you're a newly-dead, no?"

Naruto was a bit taken aback by the term Houshi used, but nodded nonetheless.

"Would you care to show me the blade?"

Without a word, Naruto brought the blade up to the counter and unsheathed it just a bit, showing the blade with veins of orange running through it. He wasn't quite sure what the point of all this was, but assumed that Houshi was just curious, having once been a Shinigami.

"I see. That's enough, boyo."

As Houshi said that, Naruto notice his lips twitch downwards in a frown before he sighed, and rubbed his eyes. A sad smile soon came to his face.

"That's a dangerous thing you're handling, Naruto-san. I suggest you protect it and learn how to use it from the Shinigami, or forget you ever had it. That being said, I'm not going to force you into anything. Do what you want."

"Well, you used to be a Shinigami, can't you teach me how to use it?"

"Nay, boyo. I'm old, and never was good with weapons to begin with. Besides, I'm not fit for teaching anything more than how to use this stove."

As if to prove a point, Houshi patter the side of his stove, a small, genuine smile on his face.

"Now then, finish up yer food. It's getting cold."

The conversation still really didn't die down after that, as the sisters began general small-talk with Houshi. Through it, Naruto leaned that the man had his accent for as long as he could remember. Houshi assumed he picked it up from someone in his family when he was still alive, but since he had never met anyone else with a similar accent, guessed that it could just as easily be a simple speech impediment. The blond asked why his accent (if it was indeed an accent) hadn't faded with time, to which Houshi replied that he never really cared to imitate traditional pronunciations, and actually preferred his way. It made him distinct. It didn't make sense to Naruto, and seeing the looks on Isane and Kiyone's faces, saw that they didn't really understand either.

Even after the three had finished their meals, they stayed to continue talking with Houshi. "So, where do you get the materials for you food?" asked Naruto. From what he had seen that day, there didn't appear to be much wildlife life in the Rukongai (which made him wonder if the animals were dead as well, but that was a something to be worked out at a later date), yet Houshi had fed the three of them, as well as a handful of people who had shown up later in the day. There were probably those who showed up before they got there as well, and even after serving them all, the man probably had some food left over for the next day. But where did he get it?

"I go out fishing every morning. I can store what I catch for up to a day after it was caught, meaning that this morning's catch can be used for tomorrow, but after that, it's no good. Just as well, considering I go through what I catch at a good rate."

"So wait, you have to go out every morning to catch fish?" asked Naruto, to which Houshi nodded.

"That's what I just said, boyo. I also have a friend a few miles up north that supplies me with rice and some vegetables. I go up about once a week."

"And what if you get sick? Do you have someone to help you out?"

"It wouldn't matter if I got sick or not; I'd still do it because someone has to do this to feed these people. Besides, I'm fit enough to do it on my own."

Then, a sly smile came to Houshi's face as he eyed Naruto.

"Then again, I haven't aged well, and doing this everyday for however many years I've lived here has taken it's toll. I suppose I could use some help. And, seeing as you're so concerned, I'd only be all too glad to accept your help."

"Wait, wha-..." Naruto tried to protest, caught off-guard by this turn of events, only to be cut off.

"Only for the mornings, though. I'd feel terrible to rob you of your whole day. Besides, its mostly preparation I need help with. So, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

It's not that Naruto was against helping Houshi; in fact he had been considering offering his assistance once he heard that the man did pretty much everything on his own. However, as it stood, Naruto was feeling a little cheated at the moment. Houshi saw this, so continued before the blond could.

"That is, unless you want to leave an elderly man to destroy himself with all this work. You aren't like that, are you, boyo?"

Next to him, Kiyone and Isane were finding it difficult to suppress their laughter. While the situation could be seen as a bit mean, they both knew that Houshi was mostly fooling around. He could take care of himself, and the blond shouldn't feel bad should he refuse to help.

The pitiful look on the old man's face was obviously faked, but even so, Naruto couldn't bring himself to say no just because he felt indignant. Sighing, he found himself asking, "When should I wake up?"

"It'll be yer first day, so... dawn should be a good time."

Naruto had to stop himself from slamming his head against the counter at hearing that.

"We can meet up here. So scram, you need to be early, and I need to close up."

With that, Houshi sent them away. It was dusk by the time they got back to the house, the last vestiges of sun clinging to the sky as they slid down past the horizon. As the three entered the small dwelling, Naruto was about ready to pass out, letting out a large yawn to let the other two know. He may have been sleeping for an undetermined amount of time, but just thinking about how early he would have to be waking up from then on had a pretty big psychological effect on him.

It was then that Naruto realized that the house was little more than the room they were currently in, the bed (consisting of a hay mattress and several blankets) tucked away in a corner. Rubbing the back of his neck, the blond asked, "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Easy," said Kiyone, pushing him toward the bed. He fell onto it, and soon found the young girl lying next to him. Lifting up the blankets, she waved Isane over while calling, "Hurry up, Nee-chan."

Visibly blushing even in the dim light, Isane walked over and took the unoccupied spot besides a similarly red Naruto. Content everyone was there, Kiyone threw the blankets over them.

"Night!" she said, far too energetic to be relaxing.

"G-good night," Isane said, uncomfortable with the situation, but not at all against it as she snuggled up slightly against the blond.

Naruto remained silent, though, wondering how the situation had come to this before managing to drift off to a slumber that left him unfulfilled.

/

Morning was difficult for the recently deceased blond. He first woke up without knowing what time it actually was. This made him irritable, as, because the window was too high up, he would have to walk outside to see how long he had until dawn, and if it was still late at night, he would have gotten up for nothing, and probably have trouble going back to sleep, which may be pointless depending on the time. Then, there was the fact that Kiyone hadn't bothered to let him set his sword aside before pushing him to the bed. As a result, the blade had become wedged under him uncomfortably, causing soreness on his right side and back. Luckily, the blade had remained sheathed, so no serious injuries occurred in the night.

Of course, once Naruto actually got the will to get up and pushed his soreness to the back of his mind, he encountered the third (and most troubling) problem of the morning. At some point during the night, the sisters had changed their positions. Kiyone had somehow managed to shift her body to be on top of his, her limbs hanging off of him and her head resting on his shoulder, a thin trail of drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. It was actually kind of cute, in an innocent, childlike way.

Turning his head the other way, he promptly turned a deep shade of red. Isane's serene face was intimately close to his; close enough that he could feel her gentle, rhythmic breathing. The silver-haired girl had also draped an arm over the blond's chest, which was now pinned between him and Kiyone.

Being in such intimate proximity to a couple of cute girls so early in the morning had a special effect on the boy, which only caused his cheeks to redden further. At the moment, he knew he had to get out of the entanglement without waking either of the other parties involved, lest he suffer embarrassment and awkward stares for a few days at least.

Fortunately, escaping was easier than he first made it out to be. Kiyone was apparently a heavy sleeper, as shown when the blond thoughtlessly pushed her off him. She squirmed for a bit at the sudden loss of body warmth, temporarily causing a wave of panic to flow through Naruto, but she quickly settled down. After that, Isane was also easy to get away from. He simply lifted her arm and slipped out of the bed.

_'Like a ninja,'_ Naruto thought to himself, proud with his (relatively unremarkable) achievement. However, for some inexplicable reason, the blond felt hollow after that. It made him angry in a way, but more than that it confused him. As a result, he wrote it off, since no one could explain the reason he felt what he did. Besides, he had to check the time, possible go meet Houshi.

Silently, Naruto opened the door to his new home and peeked outside. The sky was still a deep midnight blue, but the edge in one direction was a considerably lighter shade. This caused the blond to sigh. Just as he thought, it was too early to really set out, but too early to really get back to sleep. Then again, if he timed it right, Naruto supposed that he could get in a relaxing walk before he met up with Houshi. And, given how dire the situation earlier was, he could really go for that walk.

When he did get to the stand, and when the sky was much lighter, Naruto saw Houshi waiting for him, a pair of fishing rods (consisting of no more than wire and long sticks) and a large net with him. "Ah, so I don't have to come looking for you. Good."

Then, without saying anything more, the older man began walking, causing Naruto to pause for a second before hurrying after him.

"Hey,want me to carry something?"

"Nah, I got it, boyo," the man chuckled. "Besides, it's yer fist day. I need to treat you nice some way."

"If you say so," the blond replied, following at a more relaxed pace after having caught up. The two lapsed into silence then as they just walked. It didn't matter to Naruto, as he was still kind of tired and didn't feel like talking. Not that it mattered, as once they reached the edge of the district, it was only a short walk to a large river.

Walking to the edge, Houshi set down the supplies and motioned for the blond to come closer. " Now then, take up a rod and I'll show you how to lure the fish in."

For at least five hours Naruto sat on the ground, taking instructions from the older man. At first, the whole experience only annoyed him, as he did little more than jiggle the pole like an idiot with no results. Houshi kept saying the motion was to unnatural, advising the blond to go faster or slower, harder or calmer, how much horizontal motion should be added. Naruto kept telling himself that the instruction wasn't getting him anywhere, but he eventually did catch a fish, then another, then another. As soon as he got into a groove Houshi joined in, and by the end, the two had a good pile of fish.

Wrapping them in the net, Houshi then called Naruto over to help him carry it. The blond wondered why they didn't catch the fish in that in the first place, but figured h could ask later. Besides, he actually had a bit of fun learning the way he did, looking back on it.

"You did good for yer first day," Houshi said with a smile on his face. "No doubt we have enough food for the day."

"That's good."

"As soon as we get back, you can go home. I'll..."

Before the man could continue, he was sent flying forwards, dropping his side of the net on the ground and letting some fish spill out. Even though this happened without warning, Naruto still found the events to happen slowly. He could clearly see the look of pain and shock on Houshi's face as he sailed through the air before skidding along the ground and into a tree.

Looking back to where the man once was, the blond's eyes opened in surprise as he stumbled back, dropping the net completely to the ground with a wet thud, a gasp caught in his throat. Two pale yellow pinpoints of light gazed back at him, ripping through a dark void that contrasted a bleached white shell.

Tilting its head to the side with a dull clicking noise, the creature eyed Naruto for a second longer before rearing back and unleashing a rasping primal screech.

"_**KRWAAAAAAAHHH!"**_

/

And that's it. Truthfully, I wanted to add more, but I was strapped for time last week. Also, I can't justify making this chapter longer, so I'll just move onto Hand of the Artist. Expect chapter three sometime next year. In all seriousness, I don't know when I'll continue this, but keep telling me what you want to see. And with this, I'm done.


End file.
